Giving Fantasia: The Taking Fantasia Sequel

Chapter 97: Frostbite

Chapter 97: Frostbite

"This boy is not Arthur Pendragon..."

Ruber wove between a boy and girl; both children were adolescents, blindfolded, and very scared. Their names were Christopher Robin and Anne-Marie. 

Christopher was a Fantasian. Anne-Marie was an Otherlander. But that was irrelevant. They were victims; two tallies on a gravestone. Captain Hook had captured Christopher from Bunny's tunnels. Drago had captured Anne-Marie from an orphanage. Ruber had brought the children to the Great Wall, so all of his kingdom (both the Otherland and Fantasia) would see them die.

Yes die. King Arthur was hidden in the Otherland. So was his magical sword. Somehow, the Fantasians had lost the battle but won the war. The villains were furious. A message had to be sent; child slaughter usually did the trick.

"And this girl..." Ruber yanked Anne-Marie's black bob. "Is not Elsa Arendelle. Or Ariel Triton. Or Wendy Darling."

Several paces aloft, Peter shivered. A happy memory flickered against his inner demon, pushing Peter's subconscious into the conscious state. As Peter wrestled with his shadow, Pitch silently summoned a nightmare. The nightmare burrowed into Peter's brain, doubling the shadow's potency.

Peter calmed. As Pitch regained control, Peter's body hung with the buoyancy of a puppet. His vigor was artificial and his expressions were wooden. Peter was possessed.

But Pitch was still irritated. And uneasy. Shadow working was not Pitch's specialty (his forte was nightmares), and he had underestimated Wendy. 

True, Miss Darling was not a powerful shadow worker. Not by a long stretch.

However, her powers were unorthodox. 

Since Pitch was created from shadows, he had encountered many shadow workers. Historically, shadow workers tamed shadows. The stronger the shadow worker, the quicker to tame, the easier to possess. 

It was an unrewarding career; a shadow's fear could literally scare a shadow worker to death. Shadow workers that could withstand the fear were successful. Shadow workers that could embrace the fear were unbeatable. Yen Sid, for example.

But Wendy was unorthodox. She did not embrace the fear; she shielded it with happy thoughts. And she did not tame Peter's shadow; she befriended it. Instead of fighting fire with fire, she was fighting fire with water. 

Strange. Uncomfortable. Revolutionary.

Pitch rolled his fingers contemplatively behind his back. Wendy's powers were weaker, but her unconventional approach made Peter's shadow harder to control. For that reason, Peter was harder to control. Harder, but not impossible.

Pitch beckoned Peter as Ruber tied nooses around Christopher and Anne-Marie. When the children were strung, Pitch snapped, directing Peter to fling them from the wall. The order was given. Peter lurched. For three seconds he fought his shadow. Then, he mindlessly pushed the children.

Christopher and Anne-Marie fell. The onlookers winced as their little necks jerked, cracked, and broke. They hung in the stunned silence – suspended lifelessly from the ropes.

"For every day Arthur Pendragon goes missing..." Ruber hollered, swinging his sword over the Great Wall. "A Fantasian will die! For every day his magical sword is lost, an Otherlander will die as well! I am king! And I declare Arthur Pendragon, Schmendrick the magician, Elsa Arendelle, Jim Hawkins, Wendy Darling, and Ariel Triton threats to the crown! A reward will be granted for their capture. Death will be granted if they are not!"